Mexican origin families have been hailed as more supportive, tolerant of illness, and less critical than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Yet little is known about ethnic differences in caregiver role expectations and aspects of these responsibilities that might be perceived as burdensome. Rural, low income, and culturally different groups have received scant attention in prior caregiver studies, and methodologically sophisticated instruments have been standardized on primarily non-Hispanic white, urban, middle class samples. Further, although caregiving received growing interest in the gerontological literature during the past decade, families of other groups with chronic illness (such as the severely mentally ill), have received little attention. Rural, low-income caregivers of severely mentally ill relatives are thus chosen as the focal group for this proposal. Two years of funding are requested to address four specific aims: l) To examine ethnic differences in caregiver burden in a rural sample of Mexican origin and non-Hispanic white female relatives of severely mentally ill patients; 2) To explore the association of caregiver burden and supports to caregiver well-being and psychological distress; and 3) To investigate the relationship of caregiver burden to an established criterion of family factors associated with relapse in schizophrenic patients (Expressed Emotion). A balanced 2 x 2 factorial design with ethnicity of caregiver and order of instrument administration (Group 1, Group 2) is used. One hundred sixty Mexican origin and non-Hispanic white female caregivers are recruited by consecutive selection, matching the two ethnic groups on patient's age and gender. Subjects will receive alternate administration of two standardized caregiver burden inventories, and be audiotaped for five minutes as they talk about how they feel about their patient relative (Expressed Emotion). Caregiver's psychological distress and well-being will also be obtained. Data analyses will explore ethnic differences in level and type of caregiver burden. Ethnic differences in the relationship of burden and supports to caregiver psychological functioning and to expressed emotion are examined as well. Third, differences in these areas associated with level of acculturation are also investigated.
